Dear Mummy
by keitaya
Summary: Pre Hogwarts. Harry, mothers day and the changes it brings.
1. Chapter 1

Dear Mummy.

* * *

At school age 5

"Good morning class. This sunday is mother day. So today we are making mothers day cards for you to give your mummy's. Lets get started."

Walking around the classroom the teacher noticed Harry Potter was just sitting there, watching the other children.

"Why arnt you making a card like the other children?"

"My mummy's dead"

"Who do you live with?"

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and my cousin Dudley."

"Dudley Dursley? Over at the other table?"

"Yes."

"Well... why dont you make one for your aunt like your cousin is?"

"Ok."

On Mothers day.

Harry walked up the stairs to give Petunia his card. Standing outside her bedroom Vernon noticed him.

"Boy, what are you doing here?"

Harry silently showed the card he made. It was obvious that he had put a lot of effort into it and, unlike Dudley's card, was clean and unwrinkled.

Vernon snatched the card and ripped it to shreds.

"BOY! How DARE you try and upstage our Dudders! Go to your cupboard and stay there. We dont want anything that YOU make."

Harry slowly walked away with tears in his eyes.

A voice followed Harry "Oh Duddykins! This is the best card I have ever seen!"

* * *

School age 10

Miss Smythe was watching the class and saw that, like every year, Harry Potter was not doing anything.

"Harry, you need to make a card. Why dont you make one for your aunt again?"

"Aunt Petunia doesnt want it from me. Only Dudley is alowed to give her anything."

"Alright, why dont you write a letter to your mummy and we can get a priest to send it to heaven for you?"

"Realy? Cool...'Dear Mummy...'"

At the end of the class Harry handed his finished letter to the teacher and walked back to his Aunt's house.

As he walked he looked up at the sky. "Wherever Heaven is, I hope you like your present Mummy."

* * *

As Harry was walking home Miss Smythe read the letter. Shocked at what was written she hurried to see her local priest.

"Father Gibbons, I need some help with one of my students. He is 10 now and his parents died when he was a baby. I think that the aunt he lives with doesnt like him much. Will you please read the letter he wrote for his mother and tell me what you think I should do?"

"'Dear Mummy,

You might not remember me but I am Harry James Potter. This week is mothers day and instead of making a card I was alowed to make this letter.

I don't remember you or Daddy and I dont know what your name is but I hope it is ok to call you Mummy.

Aunt Petunia said you got drunk and crashed the car and I should have died like you did. Why did you die?

Aunt Petunia said that I am lucky she takes care of me. But I dont think so. She doesnt like me and Uncle Vernon and Dudley hurt me lots. I wish you were here.

I sometimes have dreams and I am playing with a lady with red hair and a deer and a dog are there too. I ride on the deer's back and the lady holds me on. I think it's you.

I asked Aunt Petunia about it and she just said I was a freak for dreaming like that. Am I a freak?

I wish I knew you and that you were still alive.

In Heaven do they still have Mothers Day? I hope so.

Happy Mothers Day Mummy. I love you.

From,

Harry James Potter.'"

Father Gibbons took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. Even after 47 years as a priest emotional letters like this still could make him want to cry.

"You were right to bring this to me. Are there any other signs of neglect or abuse?"

"None of his clothes fit properly and are worn to rags. His cousin is in the same class and is always in the latest styles and all his clothes are new. His glasses are often broken and he is sporting and trying to hide bruses more often than can be easily explained. I have talked to child welfare but nothing seems to happen." Miss Smythe said in a rush. "And several times I have seen his cousin steal his lunch or tease him for not being given any food."

"Leave this with me and I will do what I can for the boy."

"Thank you Father. I will see you at Mass on sunday."

As Miss Smythe leaves Father Gibbons leans back in his chair.

'The boy who lived is here in my parish?"

* * *

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Dear Mummy chapter 2.

* * *

Mother's day, age 10

"Where is your present freak?" Asked Vernon.

"You made me understand that you don't want anything from me so I didn't make Aunt Petunia anything." said Harry bravely.

"But I did want something from you." commented Petunia.

"You do? What?" Harry was astonished, until he heard Petunia's next words.

"I wanted to see you being disappointed and hurt when I rejected you and you gift." Petunia said spitefully. "Because freaks like you don't deserve to be happy. Now go and get ready for church."

* * *

Over at Saint Joseph's church Father Gibbons was preparing for the usual large crowd for their Mother's day mass. Christmas, Easter, mothers and fathers days were the few days in the year that they had a full house. Everyone wanted to be seen that day and be able to say 'I'm a good Christian'.

'Oh well, that's human nature I suppose' Thought the priest.

Seeing Miss Smythe entering he called her over.

"Good morning Father"

"Good morning. I wanted to ask if you had seen young Mr. Potter or his family this morning."

"Yes. They came in just behind me."

"Good. I will be calling all the children out of the room during the service and would you be able to help with them?"

"Of course, I would be happy to."

"Please keep Mr. Potter with you. I would like to talk to him after mass. How did he look today?"

"Like he had been crying. His clothes are the worst I have seen him in yet! And he has a large bruise on his neck."

"Are you sure? It's not just a shadow or dirt?"

"No, it is definitely a bruise. It has already started to change colors."

"Thank you. Now, if you could position yourself near the doors we will begin."

The service went well and toward the end Father Gibbons made his first move.

"As a special part of mother's day could I ask all the children to go into the next room for a special surprise for your mother's."

He watched as all the children, quietly chattering, walked out of the room. A few minutes, and one hymn, later the children were led back into the room, each carrying a flower and a small chocolate to give to their mother. All except for one little boy. Harry was wondering what he had done wrong to stop him from going back inside.

* * *

The mass ended and Father Gibbons watched as the Dursley family left, not noticing or perhaps not caring that they had left Harry behind.

Father Gibbons hurried to the side room where Harry was waiting with Miss Smythe.

"Thank you for your help, my dear. Your parents are waiting for you on the steps."

"It was my pleasure Father. See you in class Harry."

"Bye Miss Smythe." called Harry as she hurried from the room.

"Now then, young man. What do you say to some morning tea while we chat? Don't worry, you aren't in any trouble." asked Father Gibbons jovially.

"Umm... I'm not allowed to eat between meals." Harry mumbled, looking at his shoes.

"Well, I think we can make an exception just this once, hmm?"

"Ok sir. What do you want me to make? I can make biscuits or pikelets or scones or..." Harry started to list.

"Oh no, I have everything in my office. It's set up for me for after mass. I get hungry doing all that talking. Let's see what Mrs. Stone set out for me today."

As they walked Father Gibbons started asking simple questions.

"That sounded like a big list of food you can make. Do you like cooking?"

"Not really, it's one of my chores."

"Do you cook a lot then?"

"Yeah, most meals when I'm not at school. Breakfast and dinner when I am and lunch too on weekends."

"You mean you help your aunt with all that cooking?"

"No, I do it all. She just tells people that she does it." Harry replied with a frown.

"So your task is cooking. What chores does your cousin do?"

Harry laughed. For a child his age, it is a surprisingly bitter sound.

"You ARE joking, aren't you? My aunt and uncle making their precious 'Diddykins' do something? That will never happen. He just sits around eating and watching telly and making a big mess for me to clean up while they eat." Harry stops talking, realizing he has said too much.

They walked into the priest's office.

"Take a seat Harry." He said sitting behind his desk. "Oh goody! Cream puffs, my favorite. Have one Harry. I only get these a few times a year. Now then, I needed to talk to you about a few things. First of all, are you happy? With your relative's I mean."

Harry hung his head and slowly shook it.

"Do your relatives yell at you much?"

"Yes sir."

"Do they ever hit you?"

A small nod

"Harry, I need you to tell me the truth here. Has your aunt or uncle ever tried to touch your private area? Or have they tried to make you touch theirs?"

"I…I…I'm not supposed to talk about that." Was all Harry whispered.

"I see. Do you know if you have any other family that could look after you?" Father Gibbons asked, trying to stay calm, as alarm bells went off in his head like a bomb raid claxon.

"No. Aunt Petunia said that she doesn't have any family left and when I asked about my dad's family she hit me and told me not to ask questions."

"I see. If I could arrange it, would you like to live with someone else?" asked Father Gibbons, growing more and more concerned.

"Yes please!" Harry almost shouted.

"Harry, I do have to ask a few more questions, if that is alright with you."

Harry nodded with a big smile on his face.

"This is going to sound strange, but, have you ever done anything... unusual... that you can't explain? Something that may have happened when you were upset or angry?" Father Gibbons asked cautiously.

Harry looked startled for a moment and hesitantly said "You mean like turning Mrs. Tomlin's wig blue?"

"Yes, exactly like that. What happened?"

"Mrs. Tomlin was yelling at me for not doing my worksheet when Dudley had stolen mine and pretended it was his. I got angry because she wouldn't listen to me when I told her."

"I see. Well this means I have to explain a few things then. What you did to your teacher is called 'accidental magic'. It happens to children who are born with the gift of magic."

"But Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia say that there is no such thing as magic."

"Oh isn't there? How do you explain what happened to Mrs. Tomlin then? And I dare say that other things have happened too. Magic IS real and you are from an old and powerful family. The Potters are well known and respected in the magical world."

Harry looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Does this mean that I have other family? When can I meet them? Do you think they would like me? Could I live with them? Do I have other cousins?" Harry asked excitedly.

"I am sorry, Harry. Your father was the last Potter besides you. His parents died when he was still at school. That is where he met your mother I believe."

"Oh" Harry said, deflating like a balloon. "Did you know them? Were they magic too?"

"I knew them only by reputation, I am afraid. Both James and Lilly were well known as fighters against a magical terrorist called Voldemort. He was trying to take over the magical world and your parents, and lots of other people, tried to stop him."

"James and Lilly Potter. I never knew their names before." Harry looked at Father Gibbons cautiously and hesitantly asked "Sir, how do you know all of this?"

"I was born into a magical family but I don't have magic like my brother and sisters. Some people call me a 'squib'. I started to learn about the 'muggle' or non-magical world and when I grew up I moved here. I still see my family from time to time, but it is not as often as any of us would like. They tell me about things happening in their world and I tell them about mine. Now then, we need to make some decisions. Would you prefer to live in the magical world or in both worlds?"

"Err… can I see the magical world first? That way I can choose better."

"A sensible question. Yes, that may be best. I can call my sister and have her show you around a bit if you like. But for now we need to get you somewhere safe and away from your aunt and uncle. Let me think… ah yes… now where is my phone book… hmm…F…G…Go…Gr… ah! Here it is, Dorothy and Stan Granger! I knew Stan's father when I was starting at my first church and they keep in touch. They have a daughter about your age that has been showing signs of magic for a few years now. Should I give them a call?"

"If you think so, sir" Harry said, a bit bewildered by all the information he had been given.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been a quiet day at the Granger's house. Presents and flowers were given to Dorothy and a lovely breakfast was made for her, and cleaned up, by Stan before the family went to the church they had been attending for all of their lives. After church and a quiet lunch Dorothy sat down with the book she had been given as Stan and their daughter, Hermione, went for a walk. The peace and quiet was shattered by the telephone ringing.

'Darn! There goes my afternoon.' Dorothy thought "Hello, Granger household."

"Hello Dorothy, happy mother's day. It's Father Gibbons here"

"Hello Father. Thanks. How are you?"

"Good thank you dear. I am afraid that this is not a social call. I need to ask for your help. Well help from all three of you."

"What do you need and when do you need it? We will do what we can, you know that."

"I have a young man who is in a bad situation and I need to get him away quietly while matters are being dealt with."

"Do you want us to come and pick him up? Or will you be dropping him here?"

"I think it would be best if I brought him over later today, if you don't mind. This is going to take some explaining."

"All right. Why don't you bring the young man over and you can stay for dinner?"

"That sounds wonderful. Now I know you have been trying not to ask but the young man's name is Harry and he is 10."

"Will he need anything?"

"A spare toothbrush and some sleep clothes, I think. Everything else can wait until the morning."

"That's fine. We will see you both around 5ish?"

"Thank you dear and god bless."

"Bye Father."

Hanging up the phone Dorothy started to get everything prepared for their guests.

'I was right,' she thought 'there goes my quiet reading afternoon.'

Arriving home Stan and Hermione were surprised to see Dorothy in full cleaning mode. After hearing why everyone pitched in and by 4pm the house was spotless, the spare room was ready for a little boy and dinner was slowly cooking.

* * *

Back in Little Winging problems started to rear their heads. Vernon had finally noticed that Harry had not cooked the extravagant lunch that he wanted to surprise Petunia with and he could not find the boy anywhere.

"Pet, have you seen the freak? He hasn't done any of his chores."

"The last time I saw him was at…we left him at the church! You better go and pick him up before someone notices he is gone."

"Don't worry Pet. I will be back in a few minutes with the ungrateful little freak."

* * *

Vernon hurried back to Saint Josephs but could not see the boy anywhere.

'When I get my hands on him…' Vernon thought.

Finding the office he knocked on the door loudly.

"Sorry to disturb you Father but I am look…. There you are boy! I have been looking all over the ruddy country for you! March your sorry behind out to…" Vernon's shouting was cut off.

"Sir, I understand that you are upset but please lower your voice. Young Harry was talking to me about the sermon when you left and he tried to catch up to you but you left before he could. So Harry helped me with a few tasks around here while he waited for you to come back to get him."

"I'm sorry Father. He is so quiet that we didn't notice he was gone. We better get home now for lunch. Come on boy."

"Mr Dursley, before you go, there are a few questions I would like to ask you. I noticed that young Harry's clothes are rather… old. I know it is hard to hear these things but are you having some… monetary issues? The church is always prepared…"

"No, it's fine." Vernon rudely interrupted. "The boy just ruins his clothes so often that we can't keep up. Believe it or not they were new only a month ago."

"And yet they are so big on him. Why is that?"

"What business is it of yours! Stay away from the boy or…" Vernon blustered.

"Or what sir?" Asked Father Gibbons standing and coming around the desk. "Or you will make allegations against me? Or you will try to have me removed to a different parish? That won't help anyone. I am trying to help you and Harry sir. Now if you would…"

Father Gibbons words were cut off by a large fist hitting his nose.

Vernon was yelling inarticulately while continuing to hit the priest.

Seeing his uncle's rage Harry ran and picked up the phone on the desk and called the police.

"Please you have to hurry! My uncle is trying to kill Father Gibbons."

"Alright, calm down a little. Where are you?"

"Saint Joseph's in Little Whinging."

The operator could hear the yells and crashes through the phone and knew it wasn't a prank.

"I need all available units to Saint Joseph's church. Assault and possible attempted murder in progress. All available units immediate response." She barked into the radio. "It will be alright, sweetie. You did the right thing. The police are on their way."

* * *

It only took the police 2 minutes to get there but to Harry it seemed a lifetime.

After breaking up the fighting men a police woman came and started asking Harry questions.

"Hello. I'm Constable Helen. You are the young man who called us, aren't you?"

"Hi Constable Helen. Yes, I did. Miss Smythe said that we should call the police if we see grown-ups fighting like that."

"And she was right. You did the right thing. Now, I need to ask a few questions, ok?

"Ok"

"What is your name?"

"Harry."

"Where do you live? And who else lives there?"

"4 Privet drive Little Whinging. I live there with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and my cousin Dudley."

"What is your uncles last name?"

"Dursley."

"Thanks for that. How old are you Harry?"

"I'm 10, but I'll be 11 in July."

"Do you know who started the fight?"

"Uncle Vernon"

"Do you know why they are fighting?"

"Because Uncle Vernon left me behind after church was over and I stayed here and was talking to Father Gibbons and Father Gibbons wouldn't let Uncle Vernon take me home while he was angry."

"Why wouldn't Father Gibbons let him take you?"

"Because Uncle Vernon hits me and Father knows that Uncle Vernon would give me a belting for making him come back here again. He hates days we have to come to church and says that if there really was a god up there he would never have gotten a freak like me dumped on him."

"Hmm… could you wait here for a minute please? I need to speak to someone."

Walking over to her car she saw the Inspector pull up.

"A word, please sir?"

"What is it Constable?"

"It appears to be an abuse case that the priest was trying to help. From what little the boy has said I fear for his safety if we send him home."

"Ask the priest if he had made any arrangements for the kid and contact child protection."

"Yes Sir."

As she walked toward the priest she saw Dursley being loaded into the van in handcuffs.

'This should make questioning him easier.' Constable Helen thought.

"Father Gibbons? I understand that you are trying to get Harry away from an abusive family. Have you made any arrangements for him?"

"Yes. A family I know are emergency foster carers and are expecting Harry this afternoon. They live in Crawley so there is little chance of Harry being seen by anyone who knows the boy."

"Good. We will need the address and child protection will need to speak with you both. Will you be able to take Harry, or would you like us to do it?"

"I will take him. The family are old friends of mine and I was hoping to visit as well as taking Harry."

"That's fine Father. When do you think you can leave? We want young Mr Dursley safe as soon as possible."

"Oh! Harry is not a Dursley. His aunt is the blood relative. His family name is Potter. I can leave as soon as I lock the door."

"Good. Take him there and don't tell anyone else where he is. I believe there is another child in the family?"

"Yes. The Dursley's son. He is the same age as Harry. I don't know anything about him, I'm afraid."

"We will look into it in our investigation. Thanks for your help."

"Thank you. Good bye Constable."


	4. Chapter 4

Dear mummy 4

Wishing… wishing… darn! The Harry Potter universe isn't mine…. Maybe on this star over here…

As the police left, taking Vernon with them to the police station, Harry and Father Gibbons quickly got into Father Gibbons car and started making their way to Crawley.

Realising that it was already 2pm Father Gibbons stopped at a McDonalds restaurant on the way. It was the only place open to get some food that would not involve a long wait.

"What would you like Harry?" he asked as they walked into the restaurant.

"I've never had any of this before. Dudley goes every week and said it's really good. I thought he was just teasing me again."

"Would you like me to order for you?"

"Yes please."

The look on Harry's face when he first tried a big mac was as heart wrenching as it was amusing. The burger and fries were quickly demolished and they were soon on their way again.

They had been traveling for a while and Harry was sitting quietly when he had a sudden thought.

"Father Gibbons"

"Yes Harry?"

"Today is Mother's Day and I … I…" Harry stammered.

"You what Harry?" asked the priest gently.

'Um… I was wondering if I … never mind."

"If you what Harry? You can ask me anything you like."

"Should we get some flowers or something for the lady who will be looking after me?" Harry asked in a rush.

"I hadn't thought about that. Good idea. Keep a lookout for someone selling flowers and you can pick some out for Dorothy. That was a very thoughtful idea." Father Gibbons said, surprised but pleased at the suggestion.

Seeing a flower vendor they stopped and Harry chose a bouquet of multi coloured chrysanthemums for the woman who, hopefully, would be like a new mother to him.

At a little before 5pm they pulled up outside a modest but nice looking house.

"This is it. Let's go and meet the Grangers shall we?"

As they walked up the path Harry hesitantly looked around. It was completely different to what he was used to. There was no uniformity between the houses on the street. None of the houses looked like its neighbour and all the gardens, while neat, were totally different to the one next to it.

'This looks great' Harry thought.

The front door was flung open and a brown haired blur threw itself into Father Gibbons arms.

"Father Monkey! I am so glad you're here. You haven't been here to see us for ages! Oh! Is this the boy who is going to live with us? Hi, I'm Hermione. Your room is upstairs next to mine. What do you like to do for fun? I…"

"Hermione! At least let people walk into the house before bombarding them with questions! Go put the kettle on. Now miss!" Called Dorothy, laughing.

"Ok Mummy." Hermione called as she ran back into the house.

"Father, come in please. It's good to… what happened? Who did this to you?" Dorothy asked, shocked.

"Now, now, it is alright. The man who did this has been arrested. I have been checked over and I will be fine, so don't worry." Replied Father Gibbons calmly.

"Good. And this must be Harry." Dorothy said holding out her hand. "It is nice to meet you. Please come inside."

Harry nervously shook her hand and then handed her the flowers.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your Mother's Day." He said quietly.

Taking the flowers Dorothy said "Harry, they are beautiful. Thank you. You haven't interrupted anything and you are very welcome here. Please come inside."

Harry followed the adults into the house.

"Please, sit down and relax while I make the tea and find a vase. Stan should be in shortly."

Sitting on the couch Harry leaned over to Father Gibbons.

"Why did that girl call you 'Father Monkey'?" whispered a puzzled Harry.

"Gibbons are a type of monkey so it is a nickname Hermione came up with a few years ago. I quite like it."

"Oh."

A tall man walked in and saw the pair sitting on the couch.

"Father! Good to see you. And this is Harry? Good to see you too. Dot told me that you ran onto some trouble. Anything we can do to help?"

"Looking after Harry is a good start. We need to keep him safe."

"That won't be a problem. Anything we need to know?" asked Stan.

"Nothing that can't wait until Dorothy and Hermione are with us."

"Ok" said Stan as he started making small talk.

Dorothy and Hermione came in carrying trays with tea and small biscuits. They placed them on the coffee table and after everyone was served the serious talk began.

Father Gibbons explained what he knew about Harry and his home life and what had happened earlier that day. Harry was gently asked questions and he responded as honestly as he could.

The Granger family were outraged. That anyone could mistreat a child the way that Harry had been treated was inexcusable! And the adults knew that there was more that had not been covered yet. During the conversation Hermione had moved over to sit next to Harry and the pair were holding hands whenever Harry answered the adults questions.

After a few minutes thought Stan spoke. "Now that we know what's what we can start making plans. Harry you are welcome to live here as long as you want to. We will have to go and see some people and go to court to make it all legal but we will do everything we can to help, if you want us to. And before you say anything, you will not be a bother to us. We want you here. We promise that we will treat you the same as we treat Hermione. We don't have to make any life changing decisions today, but just think about what you want and what YOU think would be best for you. Alright, kiddo?"

"Yes sir" Harry murmured.

"One thing, you can call me Stan and this is Dot. We would like it if you called us by our names. Not Sir or Ma'am. Is that ok?"

"Yes si… Stan."

"Good. I think dinner is nearly ready so why don't we wash up?"

After a succulent roast lamb dinner everyone returned to the living room to continue talking.

"There is something that I need to tell you, and it affects Hermione as well." Father Gibbons said.

"What is it?" asked Stan, concerned.

"You are going to have to take a lot of what I say on faith because it is going to sound unbelievable."

"I think we are all curious now," said Dorothy, "please go on."

"You may have noticed that Hermione has had some strange things happen around her when emotions are running high. Objects moving, things breaking for no reason, things may have appeared or disappeared." Father Gibbons started.

"Yes… but it hasn't happened for a long time now." Hermione said.

"These things happening are what are called 'Accidental Magic' outbursts. Magic is real and both Hermione and Harry are blessed enough to be able to do it."

"What? You mean that they can pull rabbits from hats and turn people into frogs?" Cried Dorothy.

"No, well they may learn to transfigure people to frogs by the time they graduate, but I never saw the point. What is worse, one annoying person or a few hundred irritating frogs? Yuck, they breed at a very fast rate you know. Sorry, back to the main point. This magic is much more serious. In a month or so you will be getting a visit from a teacher from a school called Hogwarts. They will be inviting you, Hermione and Harry, to attend their school. It is located in a castle in Scotland and you can only go there if you are Magical. No stage magician can match what you are going to be taught there, even after only your first year."

"So, do we get any say in this?" Stan asked, concerned that they may be losing their daughter to a magical world that they, her parents, would not, and could not, be a part of.

"Yes. You can say that no, you don't want Hermione to attend and then the teacher would remove your memory of the meeting and any reference to magic from your minds. This is a separate world hidden from ours and they guard their secrecy with everything they can."

"And Harry is magical too! How did this happen? And how do you know all of this?" asked Hermione.

"I explained this to Harry today. I am known in the magical world as a 'squib'. My parents and siblings are all able to use magic but I am not. You, Hermione, are my opposite. You are a 'Muggle born'. Someone who can use magic but your parents cannot. I grew up in the magical world but I left when I became an adult because there are very few jobs for people like me in that world."

"Is Harry a 'muggleborn' too?" asked Hermione.

"No. Harry's parents were a witch and wizard but his mother was a muggleborn like you." Father Gibbons replied.

"What about the kids' education?" asked Dorothy.

"I have heard about muggleborn children doing both. You simply need to register the children as being home schooled and they can study both muggle and magical subjects at the same time. They can take their exams during the summer holidays after they return from Hogwarts and then they can have a well-earned rest before starting again the next school year."

"That sounds feasible."

"And it keeps the children on the muggle 'radar' so to speak. Many muggleborns often are only on muggle records until the end of primary school and then they disappear for seven year only to reappear again with no explanation of where they have been. It may be a bit difficult but in the long run it is the better option."

"Do you think that you can show us a bit of this 'magical world'? I think we need to know more before we make any decisions."

"Certainly. What about next Saturday? Around 9am? The children would be out of school and you won't have to go to work that day."

"Alright. Next Saturday at 9 it is then. Are there any more explanations of things that we need to know?" Stan asked with a smile.

"There is one." A very serious Father Gibbons said. "In the magical world Harry is rather famous. The night that his parents died something happened and Harry somehow defeated the most terrible dark lord in living memory. Many people call him 'the Boy Who Lived'. Somehow, pictures and likenesses of Harry are circulating around the magical world so we will need to make a simple disguise for him. Some concealer on his scar and a hat should be all that is required. But when we go I will have to ask that Harry not stray far from me so I can protect him and divert attention if I need to. I know these people and know how to act."

"Alright Father. We will see you next Saturday. Are you sure you will be ok for the drive home?" asked Dorothy.

"I will be fine. Thank you for dinner and everything else, dear. Good night all!" Called Father Gibbons as he drove away.

"Well now, I think it is time for bed. Hermione, please show Harry where everything is. I will be up to tuck you both in soon." Said Dorothy.

"Ok Mum, come on Harry! I'll show you your room. It's right next to mine."

As Dorothy walked into Harry's room she could see he was feeling a little unsure of himself.

"Is everything alright? Is there something you want?

"No, it's just… I've never slept in a bedroom before." Harry said simply.

"Oh… where did you sleep then?"

"In a cupboard. I wondered why sometimes. Dudley had two rooms for him and his stuff, but I only got to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs."

"Well, this is your room now, and it will be yours for as long as you live with us. Tomorrow we need to go and talk to some people about you staying with us but after that, do you want to go and get some things for in here?"

"What things? There is plenty here. There's a bed, blankets and a cupboard to put my clothes. What else do I need?"

Dorothy pretended to think for a minute. "How about some clothes that fit you? And some toys and books? Or a nice bed spread that you can pick for yourself? Those sort of things."

"But they cost lots of money and I don't have any."

"They won't cost very much and Stan and I want to get them for you. Will you let us, please?"

"Um…ok. But can you keep notes about how much you spend on me so that when I grow up I can pay you back?" Harry asked earnestly.

Dorothy's heart broke just a little more hearing that. Such a young boy worrying about repaying what should have been his just for being a child!

"How about I start a notebook tomorrow and we can go through it as you get older if you want to. Alright?"

"Ok." Harry smiled.

"Now, into bed."

Harry clambered into the bed and Dorothy pulled the covers up to his chin.

"You know where Stan and I sleep and where the bathroom is if you need us or the toilet?"

"Yes thanks" Harry yawned.

"Just please don't mix up the two rooms, ok?" Dorothy giggled.

Harry laughed. "I won't."

"Ok, goodnight Harry. We are glad you are here."

"Goodnight Dot."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

!Warning!

Sexual abuse and Physical abuse is mentioned in this chapter. The section containing it will be started and finished with a warning like the above one so you may avoid it if you wish.

* * *

Nothing recognisable is mine. Can't I just have one? Please?

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Dursley's house Petunia was getting worried.

'How long should it take to find that freak?' she thought. 'Vernon has been gone for over an hour. Perhaps we got lucky and the boy ran off.'

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.

She opened the door to find a policeman, a police woman and a woman in a smart business suit standing there.

"Oh no! Is my husband alright? Did he have an accident? What happened?"

"Mrs Dursley?"

"Yes, I am Petunia Dursley."

"I am Sargent Philips and this is Constable Adams and this lady is Miss Jessica Garth. May we come inside please?"

"O..Of course. Please come in. Please sit down. Now what has happened?" Petunia asked anxiously.

"Mrs Dursley, do you attend the church Saint Joseph's, here in Little Winging?"

"Yes, we were there for services this morning."

"Are you a regular attendee there?"

"No, we only go on special days. Why? What has happened?"

"Are you or your husband acquainted with a Father Gibbons?"

"We never really talked to him but he is the parish priest."

"If you or your husband never talked to the priest then could you please tell me why it took several officers to stop your husband from beating the good Father? Or why your husband is currently sitting in a cell awaiting a hearing on an assault charge tomorrow?"

"WHAT? All Vernon was to do was get that little freak and bring him home!"

"Are you calling the priest a freak Mrs Dursley?"

"What? No I meant my nephew. We accidentally left him at the church after services and Vernon went to get him."

"I see. Mrs Dursley, there have been some concerns raised by this incident and we are duty bound to investigate them. Miss Garth is from the Child protection agency and is here to investigate some of the allegations."

"Mrs Dursley, who are these photographs of?" asked Miss Garth.

"My son Dudley." Replied Petunia.

"Do you have any of your nephew?"

"No, he… er… is camera shy."

"I see. How long has your nephew lived with you and your husband?"

"Almost nine years. Why?" asked Petunia, getting annoyed.

"These are standard questions, ma'am." Replied Miss Garth. "To continue, who is your nephew blood related to?"

"Me. His mother was my sister."

"What happened to your nephew's parents to have him living with you?"

"They died in a car crash."

"Are there any other living relatives that your nephew could go to?"

"No, only Dudley and myself."

"Very well. I would like to look around the house now please."

"NO! I refuse." exclaimed Petunia, jumping to her feet.

"Mrs Dursley! I only told you as a courtesy. I have here a search warrant that allows us to go anywhere on this property and you are in danger of my pressing charges of impeding and interfering with an official investigation, so please stand aside and let me do my job. The sooner I do this, the sooner we are on our way."

* * *

Walking around the living area and kitchen Miss Garth made continual notes of everything she saw. Walking into the passageway she spotted a small door and opened it. Her scream had the policemen running to see what was wrong. They found her standing by the open cupboard door, staring inside at a small, filthy cot and even filthier rag that may once have been a baby's blanket. Written on the inside of the door was the reason for the scream, the words 'Harry's Room'.

Dudley walked part way down the stairs to see what was happening.

"Why are you looking in the freaks room?" he asked "I have all the interesting stuff in my rooms. Do you want to see?"

Miss Garth collected her thoughts and nodded at the young boy. She had never seen a child so morbidly obese before.

"No!" shouted Petunia, "You stay away from my boy!"

"Mrs Dursley! This is now a possible criminal matter. Please don't make this any harder than it has to be, for you or your son." Said Miss Garth calmly, as she walked up the stairs. Reaching Dudley she smiled, held out her hand and said "Hi, I'm Miss Jessica. Did you say you have more than one room for yourself?"

"Yeah, and I never have to 'share' with the freak or anything. Wanna see?"

"I think I should take a look. Who is 'Freak'?"

"My cousin, Harry. Mum and Dad call him 'the boy' or 'freak' all the time. I thought that was his name until we went to school. This is my toy room for things I don't want anymore." Looking in Miss Garth could see that the room was filled with broken toys and books that looked like they had never been touched. "And this is my room." She looked into another room filled with toys, a top of the line home computer, clothes that looked like this seasons styles and comic books that were torn and all of these things were scattered on the floor.

"This is great, isn't it? Dad gets me whatever I want and if I get bored with something I break it and blame the freak and Dad takes me out and gets me something new. After Dad hits the freak and locks him in his cupboard first." Dudley said in a matter of fact voice.

Miss Garth felt ready to faint. Looking around the bedroom her mind was going into overdrive. Just from what she could see, there were several thousand pounds worth of toys and that was before she added in the computer, and, was that a printer under the pile of clothes? The clothes that she could see were all brand labels and there were several hundred pounds worth lying on the floor.

To give her some time to think she asked Dudley to show her around the house. Outrage was a mild term for what she was feeling. A family of 3 that lived in a 4 bedroom house would only spare a cupboard for an orphaned relative to sleep in. 'I will have to call in my supervisor first thing tomorrow.' She thought. 'But first, damage control. I need to get this kid out of here. The mental abuse here is horrific. He is in more danger than I thought.'

"Dudley, how would you like to go on a small holiday? You wouldn't have to go to school next week." Asked Miss Garth while silently praying that the ploy would work.

"You can do that? Yeah!" cried an exultant Dudley.

"Well we need to pack some clothes for you then, and you may take 2 toys with you, ok?"

"Ok." Dudley said as he stuffed clothes in a bag.

"I need to speak to the policemen for a minute, so do you think that you can finish packing and wait for me at the front door?" Dudley nodded. "Good lad. See you down there."

Walking to the door of the living room she signalled Sargent Philips. He walked over and shut the door behind him.

Speaking in whispers Miss Garth explained what she had found and heard and how she was taking the boy, Dudley to a foster home until matters were settled. She asked that they wait until they were gone to arrest Mrs Dursley. Nodding, the Sargent went back into the living room, again closing the door behind him.

Seeing Dudley waiting for her she steered the boy out to her car. She was shocked that he didn't ask to say goodbye to his mother first. In her experience, children didn't want to be separated from their parents, even for a short holiday.

* * *

At the child protection office she settled Dudley in front of the television and then, after making a few phone calls, Miss Garth got a snack ready and sat down to talk to Dudley about what was happening. He seemed to grasp that something had happened but was confused.

"You are going to be living with some people I know for a little while. Your mum and dad have done some bad things so we need to make sure you are looked after first, while they sort things out."

"Why can't I go stay with Aunt Marge?"

"We need to be sure that she can look after you properly first and then we will ask her if you can go to her."

Dudley thought about it and realised that even if he threw a tantrum now he would probably not get his own way and things might get worse.

!WARNING!

Sitting with Miss Garth Dudley started sharing what life was like for Harry.

"Dudley, do you know if your parents did anything to Harry that was different to what they do with you?"

"Dad would hit freak all the time, even for little things, like missing a spot when he washed the windows or not making enough bacon for breakfast. Dad whipped him good that day. But Dad never hits me. Fre…" seeing the look on Miss Garth's face when he called Harry 'Freak' made him, for the first time ever, try to remember to call Harry by name. "sorry, Harry was all bloody when Dad finished and Dad just threw him into his cupboard. That happened a lot. Or Mum tried to hit him with a frying pan once because he dropped a glass on the floor."

"Did they ever do anything that you think is wrong to Harry or to you?"

"My teacher this year said that it was wrong but my parents and some other grownup's did it too so I don't know if it's wrong." Said a puzzled Dudley.

"Why don't you tell me about it and I will let you know, ok?"

"Well, last year Mum and Dad were having a party and they sent me up to bed but they called the freak in so I snuck down to see what they were doing. Why did they want HIM and not me? All the grownups had taken off their clothes and they were making the freak kiss their, um, you know, their naughty bits and hitting him if they said he did it wrong. Mum and Dad were laughing and Dad said that he couldn't wait for the freak to be big enough to be his little whore. What's a whore? Harry was crying. I went up to bed then. Seeing it made me feel really bad, like my tummy hurt. The next day freak, I mean Harry, wouldn't look at anyone and he ran away from school when one of the teachers that was at the party asked him to stay behind in class. Was that wrong?"

"Yes, that was very wrong. Thank you for telling me." Said Miss Garth, while thinking 'The more I learn about this family, the sicker they seem to be!'

!WARNING OVER!

"Did your parents make him do anything else that he didn't want to do?"

"Well… he had to do a lot of chores. I mean, he did almost all of them. Mum and Dad just sat around and yelled at Harry a lot. I heard Mr Gerry from across the road say that Dad should be the one mowing the lawn and not the freak. But he called the freak Harry when he said it. I asked him why Dad should do it when we have Harry there; he said that the mower was too dangerous for a kid."

"And he was right. You shouldn't use one until you are a teenager at least. They are dangerous."

"And Fre…I mean Harry cooks a lot. I don't see mum in the kitchen much. It's only when there is something special happening, like someone from Dad's work is coming to dinner Mum makes a special desert. She usually just tells him what she wants and he makes it. He must be a bad cook because mum and dad always yell at him that he did something wrong. But one day Dad asked for a fried bacon and banana sandwich, like some dead singer used to like, but he said Harry had to make it with soggy bacon and Dad started hitting him when he got the sandwich because the bacon was soggy like he had asked for."

A man and a woman walked into the office then.

"Dudley, this is Mr and Mrs Carlyon. They will be looking after you for a while."

"Hello Dudley, do you want to get going now?" Asked Mr Carlyon. "We have a long drive to get home."

"Hi. Yeah, guess so. Bye Miss Jessica."

"Bye Dudley. I will be coming to see how you are doing every so often and let you know what is happening, ok?"

She was rewarded with the first true smile she had seen on Dudley's' face. "Ok. See you then, then."

* * *

That night Petunia cried herself to sleep. This had been the worst day of her life. Lying on the thin mattress she could still hear Vernon shouting in the men's part of the lockup. She couldn't understand what he was saying but she knew his voice. Oh the horror and shame of it all! She would never be able to go back to Privet drive again! What the neighbours must have thought, seeing her being led out in handcuffs. And Dudley, her precious little Dudley! Being taken to an awful foster home! Who knows what kind of riff-raff he would have to live with there? Her baby wasn't used to those ruffians! Life as she knew it was over.


	6. Chapter 6

Dear Mummy chapter 6

As always, they are not mine, never will be. Oh well, at least I get to play with them…

* * *

Monday morning found the Granger house in its usual state of early morning chaos. Hermione was running around and getting ready for school and Stan was getting dressed and trying to eat while he was on the phone trying to find an emergency replacement dentist so Dot could spend the day with Harry. Dot was preparing the food for breakfast and Hermione's lunch while talking to all 3 of them at once and Harry sat quietly in a chair, looked bewildered at the organised mayhem surrounding him.

"Don't worry, you will get used to it." Whispered Hermione.

By 8.30 everything was settled and Stan drove Hermione to school and Dot and Harry then started getting ready for a long day.

First stop was the Child Protection offices to register Harry into the Grangers care officially. Then it would be time to talk to the police about the assault on Father Gibbons the day before. Harry had to give a statement about what he had seen. By then it would be time for lunch and then shopping for new things for Harry, then, after all that, home and a take away dinner for a treat. Dot knew she would be too tired to cook.

* * *

The Child Protection agency took much longer than they expected. Dot had thought that it would just be filling out the forms and a quick interview like the last few times they had fostered an emergency case but the workers there wanted to interview Harry and Dot separately, and at length, before even allowing Dot to fill out the forms needed. They didn't like informal placements being made without their knowledge or approval even in an emergency.

During the interview a phone call changed the whole department's attitude. Miss Garth had finally gotten through to her supervisor in the office and gave her report on the Dursley family. Immediately the gears started working in unison and they had an appointment to be in court later that day.

During the interview Harry told the workers how he came to the Grangers the previous day. Hearing about the attack on a priest they called the police and asked them to come to the office for the statement Harry needed to give. Everyone was impressed at how articulate and clear headed Harry had been in such a situation and praised him for his quick actions. Then they quickly hurried to the children's court.

Once in the court room and before the magistrate things moved even faster for Harry. He was made a ward of the crown and placed in the care of the Granger family until the CP investigation was complete and he and the Grangers were awarded a stipend to help cover his living costs.

* * *

Dot and Harry had lunch at a small café and discussed what would happen next. Now that she had the guardianship papers in her hand Dot could move on with her plans to get Harry enrolled in school. Hopefully there would be space in Hermione's class for him.

Harry was reeling from all that had happened in the last 2 days. He went from being a burden that was the families slave and blame toy to being wanted and protected and he had his own money! That was something that shocked Harry the most. In the court the man behind the big desk said that the Dursleys had been getting money for looking after him but it was clear that none, or very little, was ever spent how it should have been.

'What am I going to buy first?' he wondered 'maybe I should give it all to Dot. That way I won't owe her so much when I grow up!'

"You look deep in thought there Harry. What's on your mind?" Dot smiled at Harry.

"The judge guy said that he was giving me money every month to buy things I need, right?"

"That's right. It is a living allowance to buy clothes and toys and things."

"Well, I was wondering if I could give it to you and Stan."

"What for?"

"To pay for my food and the stuff I use and things like that." Harry said seriously.

"Oh, you don't have to do that…" Dot started to explain.

Harry interrupted "Yes I do. This way I can pay you part of the money I cost. But I will still pay you back the rest when I am old enough to get a job! I promise!"

"Harry, calm down. It is alright. You probably didn't hear the magistrate tell me that he is giving us money to pay for those things too. You won't owe us anything. The money he gave you is like… do you know what pocket money is?"

"Yes. Dudley used to get it all the time and he bought lollies and chips and stuff with it."

"Yes, that's right. It is money that you can just spend on you. With this money you can go and buy whatever you want with it. Or we could start a bank account with some of it and put in some of the money each month so you can save up for when you are older or if you want something expensive, like a TV."

"Oh! And I can use it to buy presents and things like that too!" Harry exclaimed, getting excited.

"Yes, but only for special occasions. So don't go silly with it." Dot said with a small grin. "The money has to last for a whole month, just remember that."

"Alright. Can I buy some new shoes today?"

"Yes, and we are getting you a whole new wardrobe too."

"What's wrong with the one in my room?" Harry asked and wondered why Dot was laughing so hard. 'Adults are weird!' he thought.

* * *

A shopping trip, and an explanation, later Harry was dressed in his new clothes and shoes and waiting for Hermione to come out of the school. Dot was in the office filling out the enrolment forms but Harry sat on a bench outside to wait. Finally the bell rang and children started pouring out the doors. He spotted Hermione walking out carrying an armload of books. Just as he stood up to call to her a small group of girls walked over to Hermione and knocked all the books onto the ground. Harry watched as they stomped on the books and started taunting Hermione.

"Beaver face! Saber tooth beaver!" they sang.

"Get away from her!" Harry yelled walking over quickly.

"Oh! The beaver has a boyfriend!" one of the girls squealed.

"Yes, Hermione does. So leave her alone!" Harry snarled at the now confused girls. He started picking up the books, "Let me help you with those, Mione. Your mum is inside and will be out in a second. Let's wait over there." He said pointing at a spot near the bench he had been sitting on and ignoring the surprised girls.

Hermione had been too shocked to say anything but was rapidly regaining her voice. "Harry? Wow, you look good. Did Mum take you shopping? Thanks for helping. Those girls always try and tease me. You didn't have to say you were my boyfriend."

"I wanted to. I know we only met yesterday but I want to be your boyfriend, if you want me to." Harry said blushing.

"How about best friends? And when we are older you can be my boyfriend." Hermione said with a thoughtful nod.

"Ok. Oh, there's Dot. Let's go."

Harry started school the next day and was placed in Hermione's class. The other children soon learnt not to mess with either child because even though Harry never hit or mistreated anyone, he had a way of making you feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. And for some reason the teachers always seemed to arrive just as Harry finished speaking to the offender. No-one was sure which was worse, Harry or the teachers.

* * *

Saturday finally arrived and with it, the awaited visit to the magical world. No-one was quite sure what to expect but they felt that they were ready for anything.

Father Gibbons arrived precisely at 9 and the adventure was beginning.


	7. Chapter 7

Dear Mummy chapter 7

* * *

They always belong to someone else…but this is my play time and I can do whatever I want. So there!

In this story 1G = 7 pounds.

The King only appears as a cameo, not as a regular character.

* * *

The car trip only took a short time but to the anxious family it seemed like an eternity.

When they finally arrived they were led to a small pub that the Granger adults didn't notice at first.

"Do you really think it's appropriate to take the kids into a pub?" asked Stan.

"Unfortunately it is the only entrance available from the non-magical, or, as they call it, Muggle, world. We need to ask the publican to let us through though, because you need a wand to enter." Replied Father Gibbons. "Let's go, and Harry? Keep your hat on please."

Entering they found themselves in a small, dark and grimy pub. One that usually would have had the Grangers turning around and walking away as fast as good manners would let them.

Father Gibbons called to the man behind the bar.

"Tom!"

"Horatio! Good to see you lad! Want to go through? Oh, and you brought some friends today. Allow me to introduce myself, Tom Deadman at your service. Can I get any of you a drink?"

"No thanks. This family is lucky enough to live in my parish and this young lady is a muggle born witch. I thought I would show then what magic is about."

"Ah, you will be eager to get through then. Allow me." Tom said leading the way out the back. He pulled out his wand and tapped some of the bricks on the wall. The bricks wriggled and then moved to form an arch way leading to a busy shopping street. "Welcome to Diagon Alley! I hope I will see you all again before you go home today. Enjoy yourselves." Tome called as he went back to his bar.

* * *

All Harry and the Grangers could do is stare in wonder. This was AMAZING.

"We better hurry. The arch only stays for a minute. Come along. We need to go to the bank first. This way." Called Father Gibbons as he walked onto the street. "Oh, just to let you know, the bank is run by Goblins."

'Goblins?' was the common thought.

Everyone thought that they needed another 6 or 8 sets of eyes so they could see everything. It was all so new and different to them.

They arrived at the bank and were greeted by a pair of goblins standing guard at the door. Father Gibbons led them through the lobby to a door marked 'Inheritances' and knocked respectfully.

"Enter and don't waste time." Was called through the door.

Father Gibbons opened the door and led the family in, closing the door behind them.

"Greetings, Honoured Goblin. I have come to seek information for these children." He said, bowing.

"Step forward, children." Barked the goblin.

Harry and Hermione stepped up to the desk and bowed awkwardly.

"Hmm, hold out your wand hand."

"Our what?" said Harry, confused.

"Your dominant hand." Whispered Father Gibbons.

"Oh, sorry." Said Harry.

Both children immediately held out their right hands as the goblin produced 2 dark purple parchments and a ceremonial dagger. He quickly sliced across their palms and then instructed them to turn their hands over at the right time.

Dot moved to examine their hands but found them to be unmarked.

"There is a healing charm on the blade, Madam." The goblin told her. "Have you not seen a blood test done before?"

"No, sir. Not like this." She said.

"Muggle?" He queried.

Dot just nodded, too nervous to say anything else.

The parchments suddenly turned gold and gave a soft chime. Several files appeared on the desk next to the parchments. The goblin picked the first file up.

"Hmm… let me see… both children have vaults here. Miss Granger is it? … Yes, you have a trust vault from your 3 times great grandmother. She left instruction that only a magical female could inherit. There have only been males until now. I believe, paternally, your grandfather is a wizard. You have the vault to get you through school and once you are 17 and finished at Hogwarts you will get the other vaults. I cannot tell you what else there is but I can say that you will not want for much in life."

The goblin picked up the second file and a look of shock crossed his face. He turned to Harry and said "Mr Potter, I need to call in another goblin for your accounting." And ran from the room.

"What is that about?" Harry asked.

No-one knew so they just waited.

* * *

The goblin came back after a few minutes followed by an older goblin.

"Mr Potter, may I introduce Director Ragnok, Clan leader and Manager of Gringotts London."

"Director Ragnok, nice to meet you." Said Harry politely.

"And you Mr Potter. To business then. Before we go into detail regarding your inheritances we need to clarify a few matters.

"We have a full accounting of your estates and had flagged some irregularities there. Every year on July 30 all money in your account and all interest paid for the year was withdrawn. The account refills to its original amount each year on your birthdate. This has been happening since 1982. So far as we knew the money was being taken to pay for your support and upkeep. Did you know anything about it?"

"No sir. I didn't even know about an account until just now!" Said Harry.

"So someone has been stealing from Harry. Do you know who it was? And how much was stolen?" asked Stan.

"Albus Dumbledore made the withdrawals personaly. He claimed that Mr Potter was in his care. The vault contains 10,000G a year with an interest rate of 4.25%, so the total over the last 9 years would be 93,825G or 656,775 pounds."

"Um…sir? I don't know anyone called Dumbledore." Harry offered nervously.

"He has the parchment work to say that he is your magical guardian. You never met him?" Ragnok said incredulously.

"No sir."

"Who do you live with?"

"Since last Sunday I have been with the Grangers and before that with my aunt and uncle Petunia and Vernon Dursley."

"If I may, sir?" interrupted Father Gibbons "I personally removed Harry from the Dursley's care as it was an abusive environment for Harry."

"And my husband and I now have legal guardianship and custody of Harry in the non-magic world." offered Dot.

"I see. Bloodnuts! Track the money and put it back in young Potters trust account. Fine Dumbledore the full amount for fraudulent withdrawals and reclaim all items belonging to the Potter estate."

"At once Director!" Bloodnuts said as he hurried from the room.

"Now then, Mr Potter. You are the heir to several families and, like Miss Granger, most of it you cannot touch until you have either finished school or turn 17. Even with the amount stolen from you there is enough for you to comfortably live on for the remainder of your, life should you chose to do so. All keys to your vaults have been recalled and new locks are being installed as we speak. In the future only you will be able to access your money to prevent thefts happening again. Do you have any questions so far?"

"No sir" a bewildered Harry said. He was having trouble believing that this was happening to him.

"There are some other inheritances, but you may not have them until you matriculate from Hogwarts or have taken your NEWT examinations elsewhere."

The door was flung open and a regal man with miss-matched eyes strode through the door. Ragnok fell to his knees and signalled the humans to do the same. All the humans knelt, wondering who this person was.

Hermione looked at him and gasped. "The Goblin King! He's REAL!"

"Rise!" The king ordered. "A smart child, rare to see one these days. I suppose you saw that dratted movie?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes, your Majesty." Hermione whispered.

"Hmm…I am still not sure if I love that movie or hate it. And before you ask, Sarah is still living in America with her husband and family and Toby has no memory of his time with me or the Labyrinth. Now, Rugnocker, what is so urgent that you sent to the Underground for me?"

"Sire, you asked to be informed when Scion Potter came to us." Said Ragnok, handing Harry's file to the King.

"Ah yes, the rubbish Dumbledore set him up for. Time to change a few things around. I, Jareth, King of the Goblins, Lord of the Labyrinth and Overlord of the Underground do make Harry James Potter and, what is your name, child?"

"Hermione Jane Granger"

"And Hermione Jane Granger my legal magical wards throughout the Magical worlds, wherever they may be. So I have said, so mote it be, on pain of Bogging!" and with that a flash of magic came from the King and enveloped Harry and Hermione. 2 new pieces of parchment lay on the desk. When the glow faded Jareth then explained to the stunned adults.

"This was the only way to make them safe from that meddling coot! I am now their magical guardian. This is the parchment work that will be filed with the ministry. All this means is that I will deal with any magical issues that you, as muggles, cannot. Dumbledore normally fills that role for muggle born and orphaned children. If he tries to interfere with either child, deliberately or through another person or being, he will be sent to My realm and thrown into the Bog of Eternal Stench. I will not interfere in the children's lives unless you wish me to. Just contact any goblin here and they will pass the message to me if you need me. Oh, and children? Do NOT try to wish someone away unless your life is in danger! I would not be pleased. Good day." And with that Jareth disappeared in a flurry of glitter.

"I think he does that because he knows I hate glitter." Ragnok grumbled.

* * *

"Well now that the children's magical guardianship is settled we can finish up here. Do you want to go to the vaults today?" asked Ragnok.

Seeing the eager looks on the children's faces the adults agreed.

"Griphook will take you down. He will give you your keys. If you ever need anything else please ask to see me. With the King's protection, we will do everything we can to help. A pleasure doing business with you." Ragnok said and ushered them from the room.

"This way please." Said Griphook and they were led to the carts.

The ride down was different depending on who you asked. Harry wanted to ride the carts forever, Hermione was having fun, but glad when it was over and the adults all wondered where they had left their stomachs.

All were amazed at the large piles of coins stacked in each vault. The piles were taller than the children who owned them!

Taking a small amount for spending money they were ready to face the shopping street.

* * *

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Dear Mummy chapter 8

Never mine, sigh.

* * *

Stepping out of the bank everyone wondered where to begin. Father Gibbons directed everyone back to the entrance of the ally to start a methodical tour store by store. The sights and sounds were something that cannot be described, the sight of a Quidditch game moving on a poster, so many types of owls all in the one place, the smell of the apothecary as they hurried past, no-one even wanted to guess what the different ingredients were.

The biggest wonder to Harry and the Grangers was the book shop. Father Gibbons, knowing Hermione too well, set a time limit of one hour to explore and chose a few books to take home. Hermione staggered to the counter with a load of books nearly as tall as she was and had to be stopped as she started to go back for more. She was disappointed that she was given a limit of 5 books. Harry, Dot and Stan all had chosen 3 books each. While Hermione was deciding which books she could take and which to leave for another day they all made sure that they all had different books so no-one doubled up. Wizarding law, history and customs were decided to be the best choices to get to know this new world. They were all sickened by the large range of 'Harry Potter' books and merchandise on display and horrified to find out that the books were claiming to be factual account of Harry's life and had been best sellers for years. All had an image that was eerily similar to Harry's looks.

'Who gets the royalty money for them then?' wondered Stan. 'Nothing was mentioned about it at the bank. And if he has been kept away from magicals, how do they know what he looks like? We may need to get a lawyer involved here.'

Once the books were paid for it was time for lunch. Father Gibbons had arranged to meet with his sister for the meal and introduce Harry to her.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Gringotts there were goblins scurrying to complete their tasks. One goblin had to deliver some shocking news.

"Director, I have tried to take the fines from the Dumbledore vault as ordered but there were insufficient funds there."

"Have you checked all the Dumbledore vaults, Bloodnuts?"

"Yes sir. Professor Albus Dumbledore closed all but one family vault with us several years ago and the remaining account only contains 296G. That was paid in last week as his regular monthly salary from Hogwarts. I have looked into the lack of funds and it seems that the family has been in decline since the incarceration and death of Wilfred Dumbledore, the father of Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore. Money has been continually drained out of the accounts with little returning to it in the last 103 years.

"There is, however, a vault that he is signatory on. It is listed as the 'Order of the Phoenix discretionary fund'. He and several others are authorised to use it. But again, even if we took the entire amount there would still be a large shortfall."

"I see. Have you had any luck finding Mr Potter's missing money?"

"It was taken from the trust vault and transferred into muggle money and then disbursed through several different people. Most of it bounced from account to account for approximately a month before being transferred to the Dumbledore vault and the Order of the Phoenix fund. It is then immediately withdrawn."

"You said most of the money? Where did the rest go?"

"After exchange rates and account fees there was a yearly payment that went to a Mr Vernon Dursley, reason was not given on the transfer papers."

"Was that Vernon Dursley, 4 Privet drive, Little Winging, Surry?"

"Yes sir."

"How much was he given?"

"1000G per year, sir."

"Contact the appropriate bank and reclaim ALL payments made to him from this money and any interest that the money would have accumulated with us. It was meant for Mr Potter's maintenance and was misused. Mr Potter did not benefit in any way."

"And if there are insufficient funds, sir?" Bloodnuts said with a chilling smile.

"Then put a lien on his house. And contact his employer. He may have a private savings fund through them. Make sure you let them know that you are trying to recover funds stolen from a child in his care. They should be more willing to help you then." Ragnok replied with a chilling grin of his own.

* * *

At Hogwarts there was no one inside the castle to see the disappearance of a large number of items throughout the school. It was the day of the inter-house Quidditch final, Slytherin verses Gryffindor. Attendance had been made mandatory as the competition was so close, and tensions were so high, that the teachers wanted to have everyone on hand in case of a riot.

The golden throne from the staff table, all the golden plates and cutlery that the staff regularly used, tapestries, paintings, suits of armour and most of the library went missing. Anything that had ever been bought by, leant by or had belonged to the Potter family or had been bought with Potter family money disappeared, and, unfortunately for the students of Gryffindor house, this included a portrait of an overweight woman in a pink gown, who in life had been known as Suzanne Potter. A large portion of the schools house elves disappeared as well, but, as the elves kept themselves out of sight, they would not be missed for several days.

* * *

Sitting at a table in the Leaky cauldron Harry and the Grangers were looking around in quiet amazement. They watched as food just appeared on the tables, cloths cleaned the tables with no-one holding them and they even saw unused chairs stack themselves in a corner. This was going to take some getting used to!

The fire turned green and a regal lady stepped out of the fire place, followed a moment later by a young boy.

"Augusta! It's good to see you, dear." Father Gibbons called. "And Neville! Boy, we are going to have to put a brick on your head to stop you growing! Come and meet the friends I told you about."


	9. Chapter 9

Dear Mummy chapter 9

Thank you to all who reviewed or PM'ed me with your kind words of condolence. If I have not responded please forgive me but my inbox was stuffed full. I am grateful and appreciate your understanding and kind words at this difficult time.

As always Harry Potter and co are not mine.

Reminder- This is the first Saturday since Harry started living with the Grangers. A lot has happened in just one week for Harry.

* * *

"Horatio. Good afternoon. And this must be the family you wanted Neville and I to meet." Said Augusta Longbottom formally. Introductions were quickly made and they all settled into the booth to order lunch. Augusta raised an eyebrow at Harry's introduction and Neville shyly wondered why Harry seemed shyer than he was but thankfully neither were the type to gush over Harry's fame.

Lunch passed quickly with the basic 'get to know you' chatter and the children were getting restless listening to the adults talk.

"Gran, may I take Harry and Hermione to the ice-cream shop for a desert, please?" asked Neville, noticing that the adults wanted to talk without them hearing. "We will stay there until you come get us."

"Very well." Augusta said, handing the boy a few coins. "Only go to Fortescues. We will be there soon."

Watching as the children left happily chattering to get their treat Augusta turned to her brother. "Your initial story is noted and will be remembered, what is the rest of the story and what do you want me for?"

"What I have told you is true, but we left a few things out that we didn't want to mention in front of the children. What we mostly need a person we can trust to show the kids this world and to keep them safe from Dumbledore's interference."

"What has that goat molester done now?" asked Augusta impatiently.

"Goat molester?" asked Stan.

"Don't ask! You don't want to know." advised Father Gibbons. Turning back to his sister he told her Harry's story and what they had discovered at the bank and the intervention by the Goblin King Himself.

"What do you want me to do? I know Neville would enjoy having some playmates and we could teach them all about our world at the same time."

"And perhaps we could teach Neville about the non-magic world at the same time." Said Dot thoughtfully.

"Why don't we get the kids and head to our house?" asked Stan. "This isn't really the best place to discuss these things."

* * *

Back at the Grangers house the children showed Neville around while the adults discussed the new arrangements for the children. Saturday mornings would be spent at the Longbottom's manor learning about the magical world and what would be expected of them all, adults included, while the afternoons would be at the Grangers house learning more about the non-magical world and day to day life there.

After a pleasant few hours of getting to know each other and Harry, Hermione and Neville playing together the Longbottoms and Father Gibbons left. Stan and Dot sat Harry and Hermione down for a talk.

"What do you think kids?" asked Stan jovially after telling them the news. "How about a party to celebrate our worlds joining?"

"NO!" Harry screamed and he ran from the room.

* * *

After a frantic search Harry was found under his bed crying.

"I thought things would be different here. You just want me to be a freak like THEY did. I won't do it!" Harry sobbed.

"Do what? You know that we won't make you do anything you don't want to. What happened, Harry?" Stan asked gently.

Harry started to explain how he was used as the 'entertainment' for his aunt and uncles 'parties'. The more they heard the angrier and sicker the Grangers felt.

"It's alright. We would NEVER do anything like that to you. That was wrong of the Dursley's and they deserve to be punished for it. Do you think that you could tell a policeman about it?" Asked Stan.

"Could… could I talk to Constable Helen? She was nice to me and believed me when I told her what Uncle Vernon did to Father Gibbons. I tried to tell a policeman but he just came to the next party they had." Harry stammered while crying.

"Do you remember his name? How did you meet him?" asked Dot.

"He came and talked to my class about stranger danger and how to act if we were in trouble last year. I told him after school and he said he believed me! He said he would help me! Then a few days later he came to the party and was doing the same as the other grown-ups!" Harry cried.

"I see… Do you want me to ask if Constable Helen can come here? Or would you prefer to go to the police station to talk?" Stan offered.

"Here, I guess. Stan? Can you stay with me when I talk to them? I don't want to do it by myself. And you give good hugs." Harry said the last bit in a rushed whisper.

"Of course." Stan said gently, holding his arms out to Harry.

* * *

It was quickly arranged through the child protection office for Constable Helen Adams and Miss Garth from child protection to come to help Harry give his statement that afternoon.

A short time later, Harry quietly told the story of his life at the Dursley's with an emotional detachment that alarmed the adults. The interview had been videotaped by Constable Helen to be used as evidence in court later and all the adults were appalled and sickened at the story and all silently promised that they would do whatever they could to help Harry.

"Harry, you were very brave telling us all of this. This will mean that your aunt and uncle will go to prison for a long time. But I would like to make a suggestion to you. I know someone who helps kids like you after bad things happen and I would like you to see her. She is a talking doctor called a psychiatrist. You would go and talk about what happened to you and how it makes you feel and helps you to stop feeling bad about what happened to you. You can talk about anything you want to. No one else will ever know what you say in there unless you want to tell them, ok?" Said Constable Helen.

"I guess so. Can I go outside now please?" Said Harry quietly. He felt like his insides were tied in knots and needed to relax for a while.

"Go on, sport. Just stay in the yard." Stan replied understandingly.

After Harry left the adults talked about how to best help Harry and how to handle the upcoming court case and the additional charges that THOSE people would face.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dudley was discovering what life without his parents was like. It would be an understatement to say that he did not like it at all. No one constantly told him he was special, no one cosseted him and worse still, he was expected to do as he was told.

On his first morning with the Carlyon's Dudley threw a tantrum because he was given porridge instead of bacon, broke 2 of the kitchen windows because he was told to clear his plate from the table and deliberately made himself vomit to try to get his own way. He couldn't understand why the tactics that worked on his parents had only gotten him in more trouble. He was made to help clean up the mess he made and was confined to his room. As Dudley stormed up the stairs Mr Carlyon sighed and reached for the phone.

"Miss Garth? Les Carlyon here."

"Good morning. I take it there have been a few problems already."

After talking for a short time it was decided to give Dudley a chance but if his behaviour didn't improve then other arrangements would be made.

Unfortunately, Dudley's behaviour continued to get worse. He threw tantrums several times a day, deliberately broke anything that was near him, hit Pam several times and when taken to play at the park, started to bully the children who lived nearby. Talking to him made no difference. For some reason Dudley thought he was exempt from any rules. The final straw was when he saw a much younger child playing with a toy he wanted and proceeded to beat the boy badly enough that the child had to be taken to the local hospital.

With a heavy heart Les reached for the phone again. This was more than he or Pam could deal with by themselves.

"Miss Garth? Les Carlyon here again. I am afraid that we have a major problem here."

After telling her of the problems of the week Les finished by saying "As much as we would like to help the boy, we simply cannot. I am beginning to fear for everyone's safety and I would not be surprised if little Aaron's family press charges against Dudley."

"I understand. I will contact the local police and arrange for them to take Dudley to a youth holding facility until we can get this sorted and find out if there are going to be criminal charges. He should only be there for a few days so if you could pack his clothes I would appreciate it. He would not be allowed toys so pop them in a box and I will collect them another time. I hate doing this but perhaps this might give him a scare enough to straighten him out."

"Perhaps a psychiatric evaluation could help? The look on his face as we were pulling him off Aaron scared me. Dudley was enjoying hurting the boy. This is well beyond normal behaviour even under these circumstances." Suggested Les.

"I will have the office look into getting him evaluated. Is there anything else you have noticed?"

"Just that he believes that everyone in the world is there only for his use and abuse and is shocked if he is told 'no' about anything. He has demanded to be taken to his 'Aunt Marge' several times but has not asked after his parents at all."

"Not surprising, given his attitude from the start of this mess I am afraid. Alright, I will contact a few people and someone will be there to get Dudley within the hour. I am sorry it has come to this and thank you for trying."

"I just hope that someone can help the boy. Goodbye Miss Garth"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Nothing in the Harry Potter world belongs to me.

* * *

Saturday, May 13 1990.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts the Quidditch game had ended (Slytherin had won by 10 points) without any trouble from any of the disappearance of the Potter owned items was discovered and panic was quickly spreading. Dumbledore locked all the students out in a courtyard while he and the other teachers launched an investigation.

'How dare anyone steal from ME!' He stormed. 'my books, my throne, thank heavens someone took that ugly old bint from Gryffindor! I always hated that painting. How did they get into My school and out again without me knowing?' He continued to ponder this as he searched for signs of the culprits or any of the missing items.

After, feeding the students (the house elves were very short handed and overworked without the Potter elves so dinner was nearly 2 hours late) and bedding the Gryffindor students in the Great Hall for the night Albus finally returned to his office and found another unpleasant surprise. The gargoyle that guarded his office was gone! He couldn't get in.

Slowly Albus trudged back to the great hall to sleep with the students wondering what else could go wrong. As he drifted off to sleep he thought of how he would control Harry Potter in the next school year as his guardian. As Albus dreamt he suddenly could smell the worst smell he had ever encountered. The stench of a public toilet that was overflowing on a hot summer's day was what it reminded him of. Only this was a thousand times worse. It was so bad he could almost taste it. It was not one of his better nights sleep.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Albus several important letters were sitting on his desk in his sealed office that needed his immediate attention. They read:

'Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,

In respect to the wishes of the guardians of Mr Harry James Potter all items connected with the Potter estate have been recalled to Gringotts to be held in trust until Mr Potter is either emancipated or of legal age to receive his inheritances, whichever event may be earlier. As Headmaster you are personally responsible for these items and their upkeep and repair. If any of the items are in need of repair or restoration we, Gringotts, will be finding you personally liable for the entire appropriate repair, restoration or replacement costs. If any of these items are considered essential to the running of the school or if you wish to negotiate the use of any of the items please present yourself with this letter to Gringotts London branch no later than 5pm on Tuesday May 15 1990. Failure to meet with us will result in your arrest unless these matters are concluded.

Yours in banking, Ragnok.'

'Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,

Several irregularities have been detected in regards to the expenditures from the trust vault of one Mr Harry J Potter. Please present yourself with any and all applicable receipts showing the use of Mr Potter's money to Gringotts London branch no later than 5pm on Tuesday May 15 1990. Failure to meet with us will result in your arrest unless these matters are concluded.

Yours in banking, Ragnok.'

'Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,

In regard to the royalty monies given to you for the use of Mr Harry Potter's name, likeness, family crest and personal and family history as payment for the fictional books written by yourself and any and all merchandise resulting from the above mentioned, it has come to our attention that no royalties, fees or commissions have been paid to Mr Potter or the Potter estate for the use of said intellectual properties. We, Gringotts, wish to correct this oversight on your part as expeditiously as possible. If you believe that this is in error please present yourself with this letter and any other relevant documents to Gringotts London branch no later than 5pm on Tuesday May 15 1990. Failure to meet with us will result in your arrest unless these matters are concluded.

Yours in banking, Ragnok.'

'Dear Albus,

The Dursley family have been arrested by muggles and there is no sign of Harry or the Dursley's boy. Please advise me on what to do now.

Arabella Fig.'

* * *

Monday May 14 1990

"The afternoon court is now in session, Magistrate William Bones presiding. All rise and be silent." Shouted a bailiff.

"Be seated. This is the plea hearing of Vernon Donald Dursley and Petunia Iris Dursley nee Evens." Said Magistrate Bones. "The charges are for kidnapping, multiple counts of child abuse, sexual interference of a minor child, sexual abuse, child prostitution, gross negligence, misappropriation of funds and …oh? There is a note saying that there are still other charges pending. You will not be pleading for those today. How do you plead on the charges I have read?"

"My wife and I have done nothing wrong" Vernon thundered. "It was all that freaks fault. You have no right to hold us here!"

"It is guilty or not guilty sir. There is no other response. Please answer for the record."

"Not guilty!" snarled Vernon.

"Guilty of all charges." Whispered Petunia looking at anything but her husband.

"Pet? What…" a confused Vernon looked at his wife, not understanding her change of plea. That wasn't the plan at all.

"Silence! The pleas are noted. Does the prosecution or the defence have anything to add?"

"Before the trial today Mrs Dursley asked to speak to the prosecution and has offered her testimony against her husband in return for a quick divorce and eventual custody of their son Dudley. Owing to the nature of the crimes I believe that the custody issue will be moot before her release from prison as we believe the child, Dudley, will be of legal age before then, but we are willing to assist in the divorce if needed. I wish to mention that at no time did Petunia Dursley ask for a reduced sentence or preferential prison treatment in return for her testimony." Prosecutor Davies stated.

"So noted. Mrs Dursley, I must be clear. If you plead guilty then you waive your right to a trial and we pass straight to sentencing and there can be no appeal. Do you understand?"

"Yes." The word was said with quiet conviction.

"Very well. Petunia Dursley, you are to be remanded in police custody to reappear on the, hmm," Magistrate Bones looked at his calendar, "4th of June 1990 at 9am for sentencing. Mr Vernon Dursley, it is noted that you have pleaded not guilty. You have not applied for bail so none will be granted. You will be remanded in police custody to reappear tomorrow, May 15th, at 9am. Does anyone have anything else to say at this time?"

"If it pleases Your Honour, I do." Said a voice from the back of the room.

"Please approach and identify yourself."

"I am Julian Grunnings, sir. I am here on behalf of my father Peter Grunnings, owner and proprietor of Grunnings drill manufacturers."

"And what is your business here today sir?" Magistrate Bones asked as Vernon paled.

"I am needing to serve this notice of employment termination to Mr Vernon Dursley. The young man Mr Dursley is accused of abusing is the grandson of the man who gave my father the loan to start the Grunnings company. Young Mr Potter is also the holder of 49 per cent of all Grunnings shares. Grunnings wishes to show our support for Mr Potter at this time and will do what we can to help him. We at the company abhor abuse in any form. It is written into our employment contracts that anyone being accused of criminal abuse is dismissed immediately, with opportunity to regain the position if found not guilty. We will also be reclaiming the company vehicle that Mr Dursley has been using for the last 6 months and I am further giving notice that all accounts that he dealt with for our company will be undergoing a full and thorough audit. I can only hope that he was honest in his work or Grunnings will pursue the matter to the fullness of the law."

"Very well. You may serve notice to Mr Dursley."

"WHAT! You can't do this! Do you know how much money I have made for this company? What I have…" Blustered Vernon as he tried to avoid being handed the envelope.

"Silence!" Shouted Magistrate Bones. "Is there anything else Mr Grunnings?"

"No sir, and thank you." He said stepping back.

"Does anyone else have anything…" Magistrate Bones stopped speaking as he saw 2 more people stand and move forward.

"Good day, Your Honour. I am Mr Smyth and this is my associate Mrs Brown. We represent the Taxation office. It has come to our attention that Mr Vernon Dursley has not been declaring income that he received for the care of one Master Harry James Potter. It has come to our attention that Mr Dursley received a private allowance for Mr Potters care from the estate of his late parents and Mr Dursley also claimed a maintenance allowance from the State, which in and of its self is a crime. Neither of these payments were disclosed to our offices. As such we are serving notice that we will be performing a full audit on Mr Dursley's affairs and will be pursuing the matter to the furthest reaches of the law. As of this moment all of the Dursley families bank accounts have been frozen and all good owned by him are now entailed and cannot be liquidated. We will be in further contact with Mr Dursley as our case progresses. Mrs Dursley has at no time had any income and is not being held accountable or liable for her husbands actions. Thank you for the courts time sir." Mrs Brown placed another envelope into the gaping Vernon's hand and then both tax agents quietly left the court room.

"Anyone else?" The Judge asked sighing,seeing another person stand and start to move forward. 'Never had so many people speak up like this before.' He thought. 'I hope this doesnt start a new trend in process serving.'

"Sir, I am Mr Grippclaw and I represent Gringotts bank. I am here to inform both Mr and Mrs Dursley that they are in breach of their lease of the property located at 4 Privet drive, Little Winging Surry, England. The lease allowed for Mr and Mrs Dursley to live there rent free as long as they had no deliberate contact with their nephew, Harry James Potter. As such, we are evicting the Dursley family, placing their belongings in storage that they will be responsable for paying and seeking the full arrears rental amount that would have been paid from November 1,1981 untill today. I further wish to serve notice that Gringotts bank is persuing this matter to the full extent of the law and will be seeking full reparations for my client, Mr Harry Potter."

"Sir" Petunia said nervously. "You are making a mistake. I own the house. I inherited it from my parents when they passed away in 1980."

"No, your parents left the house to your sister Lilly Potter Nee Evens. YOU were left the antique furnishings. The lease was amoungst the papers you signed at the will reading you attended in July 1980. Here are your notices, Sir, Madam. Thank you for your time Your Honour. Good day."

"Is there any other business for this case? No? Court is adjourned." Bang went the gavel.

* * *

tbc


	11. Chapter 11

Dear Mummy 11

Not mine, and I am not from England so please forgive any geographical errors.

* * *

Harry's life continued to improve. He started seeing a child psychologist and the effects were remarkable. The change was like flipping a switch. Harry was still polite and respectful but was often seen laughing and playing boisterously like a child his age should. There were still days where he would regress to his old fearful behaviour or flinch when voices were raised but these things were to be expected. Knowing that he could talk about the treatment he had received from his relatives, or anything else he wanted to talk about, without fear of reprisal was a relief to Harry and he was beginning to listen and understand when he was told that not everyone was like his Aunt and Uncle. Living without fear was a new experience for Harry but he was learning to enjoy life now.

* * *

Dudley was finding that his second week without his parents was worse than his first. At the Carlyon's house he had been asked to go with a policeman and when he had refused and started to throw another tantrum has been shocked that he had been dragged down the stairs and thrown into the backseat of a waiting police car. He had then been taken to a 'Youth Holding Facility' and upon arriving was promptly beaten by an older boy when he, Dudley, demanded the lolly the boy had been eating. 'Why isn't anyone doing what I tell them? Life would be better for everyone if they did.' Dudley thought that night as he lay on the small cot in his locked room.

Dudley tried to intimidate the other boys during his stay but as the youngest boy there he was firmly and repeatedly punished by the staff and beaten by the older boys.

"You just keep asking for it don't you, you fat freak!" said one of the boys as he beat Dudley for the second time that day. Dudley had deliberately knocked over his breakfast tray when he refused to share his bacon and then Dudley had hit him when the staff was not around. "None of us like you and we won't put up with your crap. Start to behave or it's gonna get worse kid."

After two weeks in the facility Dudley had to face the courts. Through the whole assault trial Dudley sat in his seat, loud mouthing, swearing at the witnesses, smirking whenever Aaron's injuries were mentioned and trying the patience of everyone who was there.

Eventually it was time for the verdict and sentencing. Judge Miller was known to be a tough judge when it came to youth crimes, but would bend over backwards to help those who truly seemed to want to be helped. Unfortunately, Dudley was not one of those children.

"Dudley Dursley, you have been found guilty of the aggravated assault and attempted manslaughter of Aaron Lukeson. You have shown no remorse for the pain you inflicted of that poor child, indeed, you seem proud of harming a much smaller child. STOP SMIRKING BOY! This is not a joke or something you should be proud of! Aaron is 7 years old and now faces a life of pain because of the severe internal injuries that you have inflicted upon him. He is now on the organ transplant waiting list for a new liver and kidneys as your beating has caused irreparable damage to them. He may die before he gets a donor and if he does you may very well be back here facing a murder charge! This is not a joke so stop sniggering.

"I have heard the evidence, I have read the psychological reports and have spoken to your foster carers and the workers at the youth holding centre. After seeing you and your behaviour here I can only come to one conclusion. You are a danger to yourself and to the community at large. As such, I am sentencing you to be a full time, boarding student at St Brutus' School for Incurable Criminal Boys until you reach the age of 18. You will spend the term time, weekends, all holidays and school breaks there. It will be court ordered that you will not be permitted to go on any school trips or outings at any time. After this time should you ever assault someone or be a part of any other crimes your record will be unsealed and because you will be a repeat offender you will be given the maximum sentence with no exceptions. Take him away."

*Bang* went the gavel.

* * *

At the same time as Dudley was taken to the youth facility, up in Yorkshire another Dursley was about to have a bad day.

Ever since Vernon had been arrested things had gone badly for Marge. She was no longer getting the weekly payments from her brother and with fewer people wanting bulldogs, 'They all want the prissy mongrel breeds' she thought, things were tight. And now a police car and animal control van pulled up outside her house. 'Now what?' she thought, watching an animal warden and a policeman talk as they walked up her path.

"Miss Marjorie Dursley? I am here to look into a report of a dangerous dog. I am afraid that several people have identified a dog in your possession called 'Ripper' as the culprit." The animal warden stated.

"What! My Ripper wouldn't hurt a fly! Who reported him?"

"I am sorry Ma'am, I cannot reveal that information."

"It was that Potter brat wasn't it? What has that little freak set my poor Ripper up for? He never liked my dogs!"

"Ma'am, I don't know who you are referring too but I am…"

"Ripper! Skitch!" At the command the dog lunged forward and bit the animal warden's leg.

The policeman quickly pulled out his truncheon and dealt several stunning blows on the attacking dog.

"What do you think you are doing?" Marge screeched trying to defend her dog, punching the policeman. "Leave my poor Ripper alone!"

Pulling out the leash he had in his pocket the warden tied the stunned dog to a nearby fence post and then watched as the locally notorious Miss Dursley was arrested.

"Call the RSPCA. Tell them it's an emergency vicious animal, animal cruelty and illegal puppy farm call out. They will need several people to handle this lot. Oh, and ask them to bring a gun or humane killer, they might need it. And tell them to make sure they have had all their shots too! Who knows what diseases these dogs might have." Called the warden to several neighbours as he bandaged his leg.

A week later Marge was in the docks awaiting the verdict of her trial. She could only think of her 'poor Ripper' who had been shot by the RSPCA when he attacked them as they tried to untie him from the fence.

Illegal puppy farming, cruelty to animals, owning an unregistered attack dog, having an unrestrained dangerous animal in her care, assault of a police officer and resisting arrest were the charges she faced.

The entire village had come to see the case and many had testified against her. Retired Colonel Fubster had taken the stand and Marge had sighed in relief. 'He will defend me and my dogs' she thought. Unfortunately for her he told of how she sent for him to kill unwanted pups, which he had quietly given to animal shelters, and how he had observed her setting her dogs on a young visitor to her house.

The verdict was swift and unanimous, guilty of all charges. Marge would not see the outside world for another 5 to 8 years.

* * *

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Dear Mummy 12

Still don't own anything Harry Potter, drat it!

* * *

The morning of Wednesday, May 16 1990 was one that would be remembered for many years to come. It was the day that a man who many idolized was brought crashing down to reality.

Albus Dumbledore was, not happy, but content. He would be happy when he could get access to his rooms and office again. He had been sleeping in the school's guest quarters and had been having the same dream about over full toilets constantly. The smell woke him several times a night. During those wakeful times Albus had worked out that all the items missing from the castle had one common theme. They had all once belonged to the Potter family. 'When I get Harry here I can make him give us these things back again. Hmm… perhaps I can make it so that he permanently gifts them to the school, then this cannot happen again. Oh well, I only have a few months to wait… why can I smell that awful smell again?' He thought as he went to breakfast.

However, this day started like so many others, reading the paper while eating breakfast when normalcy ran out the window as a large troop of goblin warriors and a large contingent of Aurors marched into the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

"What is the meaning of this?" thundered Dumbledore as they marched toward the head table. "How dare you come here without my permission!"

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, you are under arrest for the theft from an ancient and noble family, embezzlement, theft from a minor in your care, illegal usage and profiteering from fraudulently obtained intellectual properties, kidnapping, falsifying legal documents, forgery for personal gain, misrepresentation of a Wizengamot voting proxy, perverting the course of justice and illegal tampering with the succession of an ancient and noble house. Please hand your wand to the nearest Auror and come along quietly. If you do not we are authorised to use any and all means necessary to take you in safely." Said Amelia Bones, Head of the DMLE. "For the sake of the children watching please do as we ask, show them you will do, as you have said many times, 'what is right, not what is easy'."

Albus looked around and, seeing all escape routes were covered, cried "FAWKES!" When the phoenix appeared and circled Albus before landing on his head.

"Get me out of…EEWWWW!" Fawkes had relieved himself and then flew to land on the table. The hall broke into laughter as the Headmaster was cuffed and lead from the table.

Being taken into an anti-chamber he was thoroughly searched and was stripped of his wand and portkeys before being led through the school and past all of his students. 'This cannot get any worse' he thought until his attention was caught by the flash of a camera.

"Cool! I wonder how much the 'Daily Prophet' will pay me for the arrest shots of the Headmaster!" cried a 6th year Hufflepuff.

'Alright, now it can't get any worse.' Albus thought morosely.

A small man stepped into the Great Hall. "Professor, I know that this is bad timing but I am Roger Cadbury, from the Cadbury chocolate company, and I am here to inform you that we will no longer be making an 'Albus Dumbledore' chocolate frog card. It appears that for every other card we print we print 2 of you. For example, if we have printed 100 random cards, 50 of them are you, sir. So effective immediately we are stopping production. Good day sir." The man said walking to the door.

'I have to stop saying that' Albus grimaced as he was escorted out the door.

* * *

The Magical world was in an uproar. The 'Leader of the Light' was nothing more than a common criminal! The courtroom was packed and there were wireless radios set up anywhere magical people gathered. Fortunately the trial was held on a Saturday so no one missed work or classes. This was to be historic for another reason. For the first time in recorded history, the DMLE was working with the Gringotts goblins and both had agreed to make their case together. There were several goblins sitting amongst the humans on the judgment benches.

'I'm screwed.' Albus thought as he was led to the chair.

The doors opened and Harry walked in with Hermione and the prosecutions barrister. When Harry was introduced there was pandemonium as everyone wanted to see their saviour.

"Mr Potter will be making one statement for the press and then we will begin." Said Cornelius Fudge who was acting as the Chief Warlock for the hearing.

"Ladies and gentlemen. While I am happy to be back in the magical world I was raised by muggles so please forgive me if, no when, I make mistakes. I just want to say that the story of 'the boy who lived' is a fallacy and the real hero's that night were my parents. The Harry Potter books are in no way my life story and I have never given permission for them to be made or any of the other Harry Potter stuff that I saw in Diagon alley. All of it is going to be removed from the shelves and no new products will be offered with my name or image until I am old enough to make my own decisions. Please remember my parents sacrifice and give the credit for my survival to them. Thank you."

With that everyone sat and the trial began.

The evidence was presented and there was no way that it could be argued. Goblin efficiency was too well known and respected to even think of anyone attempting to discredit it.

"As the victim of these crimes, Mr Potter, you may address the accused at this time if you wish. You do not have to but if you wish to say anything, now is the time." Fudge said kindly.

"Thank you. Sir, you have stolen so much from me. I don't really care about the money, shocking I know but it's true. Mr Dumbledore, your actions have led to my being abused and having nearly 10 years of my life stolen from me. That would be bad enough for an adult but as a kid that's nearly all my life! I am working with a therapist now and she said, and I agree with her, that there is no way for me to get back any part of my childhood. It is gone for good. That makes me sad to think that the actions of one man can do something so horrible to anyone! I am soon to start my magical schooling and I won't be able to even compare notes on simple things like what my favourite kid game is! I have only ever played one game and it is one I didn't want to play. It was called 'Harry hunting'. It was my cousin and his friends chasing me and if they caught me I would get beaten up! Hardly a good game for me. I just want you to think about that. I wish that you could live my life at the Dursley's and see why it was so bad." Harry turned to the Wizengamot and simply said "Thank you for letting me speak." And sat down, trembling. Hermione placed a comforting arm around Harry and glared at Dumbledore who had a tear running down his face.

"We will now pause for deliberations." Fudge said.

Deliberations were quickly over and the trial resumed.

"Before we pass sentence Dumbledore, is there anything you wish to say or anything you may want to confess?" asked Fudge.

"Yes. I am sorry that I put you through so much Harry. I thought I knew best..."

"You knew best you pompous, degenerated egotistical son of a mmmhhhmmm!" Harry had placed his hand over Hermione's mouth before she said something that would get her mouth washed out.

Chuckling like most of the observers, Fudge gently said "While I admire your attitude Miss, it is now Mr Dumbledore's turn to speak."

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." Hermione said contritely. "He isn't worth it anyway."

"Ahem…" Albus was not sure how to handle such a comment so he ignored it. "I wish to confess that I used my powers as Chief Warlock to imprison Sirius Black without a trial as he is Mr Potter's magical godfather and he would have ruined my plans."

"You placed a person in Azkaban without knowing if he was even guilty?" Fudge shouted as the room exploded into chaos. "Order! Order! Or I will clear the room!"

Once everyone had taken their seats Fudge continued. "Black will be brought to the ministry and evaluated to see if he can stand trial. If he cannot then on your head be it Albus! Do you have anything else to confess?"

"Just that I thought that what I was doing was for the greater good."

"Hmm… the greater good for whom? Certainly not Mr Potter! Not to your sentence. You will be taken from here and put to work in the goblin mines. Your pay that all prisoners get will be automatically given to Mr Potter until your debt is cleared. It has been calculated that you owe G925,563 and K2. An itemised invoice will be provided to explain the breakdown to you. Once your debt is repaid you are to be released. You may not accept donations or gifts of money or saleable goods from anyone until after you are released. Goblins, we are now concluded. You may take him away."

Dumbledore was never seen by human eyes again. He had only repaid half of what he owed Harry when he died.

* * *

Vernon's trial passed quickly. Harry had been able to give evidence by presenting the video of his statement and did not have to appear in the court room, which was a relief to both Harry and the Grangers. No one wanted to put Harry through that again. The sight of Harry being so vulnerable on the recording and the overwhelming forensic evidence from the house had been enough to make the strongest heart bleed. Everyone wanted to see justice for that little boy. Vernon refused to be quiet and shouted throughout the trial and ended up being charged with 3 separate charges of contempt of court which brought his sentence up considerably.

That night he was heard shouting "65 years! They can't do this to me! I demand to be let out! That little freak of a whore asked to service us so why am I being locked up for using him and…"

"Well, well, well boys." A menacing voice in his ear interrupted Vernon's rant. "Look what we have here. A self-confessed rock spider! We don't like your type. Do you know what we do to men like you here? No? Let's show you…"

Vernon's screams continued for several hours as the other inmates showed him their disgust for his crimes as the guards looked the other way, ignoring the screams.

* * *

Petunia Dursley, soon to be Evens again, primly placed her paper napkin on her lap as she prepared to eat the first of many meals in the woman's correctional facility. Several of the other women watched as Petunia made her meticulous preparations before she would even look at her food. 'If you can call this… slop… food' Petunia mentally sniffed. 'How am I going to live with such deplorable food for the next 37 years?'

"I know you!" cried a large tattooed woman sitting down opposite Petunia. "You're that snooty Evens bitch that used to live in Spinners End. You had that nice red-headed sister. She was nothing like you. Play with anyone and never mind if we didn't have tuppence to rub together! I was sorry when she moved. But you! Nose in the air like you were better than us. You better have got rid of those airs or you are going to have it rough in here!"

"If you must know, Lilly got herself murdered and landed me with her ill begotten brat. And all that got me for my kindness was to be sent here! So please do not speak to me of HER." Petunia politely snapped.

"Still got that stick up your bum, aint ya? Hang on… you mean that she's dead?" the woman asked in shock.

"Yes, now leave me alone."

"So you're the 'Awful Aunty' from the newspapers! They kept the names out, 'cos of the kid, but it was you wern't it?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. Go away."

"Ohh, look here girls, a snobby 'Awful Aunty'! Can't even treat an orphaned kid right. Just you wait till tonight, there are a few girls that want to TALK to YOU." The woman cackled, walking away. "Don't get too comfy, you won't be seeing things here for long…"

Petunia lost what little appetite she had and wondered if she would live to see breakfast.

* * *

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Dear Mummy 13.

(Singing off key) It's the final countdown… oops; I mean it is the final chapter of Dear Mummy. I still don't own anything. (grumble). I am going to post the original final chapter as an omake (it is totaly diferent). It was written by David but I could not work it into the story I wrote after his death.

A big thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this story. A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed. Reviews are a great encouragement to keep going to the end. This story has been an emotional rollercoaster for me. It was a hard story to tackle and losing my friend, who was the inspiration for my Harry, half way through made it even harder.

David (1974-2012), this was started together and is finished in your memory. The book is written and it is time to rest. Sleep well.

* * *

Early July 1990.

*Ding dong*

"Hermione, answer the door please." Called Dot.

"Grandpa Granger!" Hermione cried joyfully as she ran toward give him a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever! And you haven't met the new member of the family yet. Come on and I'll introduce you! I have got so much to tell you. But Grandpa," Hermione stopped and looked serious, "why didn't you ever tell us that you are a wizard?"

Of all the questions that he was expecting THAT was not even on the radar. "How do you know about that?" he whispered.

"Because I'm a witch! And Harry is a wizard. And Father Monkey, you remember him? Well, he's a squib and he told us and took us to Diagon alley and…"

"Hermione!" Stan said, walking up to them "Let Dad come in and sit down before you start rambling. Hi Dad," Stan continued giving his father a hug. "We are all in the kitchen."

"Good to see you son. Now, why didn't you tell me Dot was expecting? I would have brought a gift." Richard said as they walked.

Stan laughed "Unfortunately, Harry is not ours biologically. He is our foster son and both he and Hermione are magical. Father Gibbons was helping Harry to escape an abusive home and he brought him to us. I get the feeling that I just might be raising my son-in-law here so I better do a good job! He and Hermione cannot and will not be separated while they are awake. Now, come meet your newest grandson."

"Dad, I want you to meet Harry. Harry this is my father Richard Granger."

"Nice to meet you sir." Harry said politely.

"Great Merlins baggy boxers boy! Harry James Potter! I haven't seen you since your christening day. If you aren't the spitting image of your Dad and Granddad then I am going blind! Hmm… Got your Mums eyes though." Richard said as he sat down "That's a family tradition in the Potter line, so I heard. The first boy looks like his dad but gets his mums eyes. I knew your Granddad when we were kids. Went to Hogwarts together and we were thick as thieves, the 2 of us. Then I met my wife and she was a muggle. I loved her dearly, still do, but we agreed that if any of our kids were muggle then we would live in the muggle world and leave magic behind us. Stan was muggle so the only magic he ever saw was on the stage. I never expected Hermione would get the gift! Now, have you been to Gringotts yet?"

"Yes, the first time we went to the alley. We did a test and found out that we have vaults of gold for school and more for when we grow up!" Hermione said excitedly. "They told us about you."

"Good. Since you know about the boring stuff I suppose I could tell you about your family, Harry. Why don't I start with your christening and how you 'blessed' the fount…"

Several hours were spent regaling Harry with the stories of his father and grandfather and even a few about his great grandfather. Not knowing anything about his family Harry soaked it all up like a sponge.

In turn the Grangers and Harry told Richard Harry's story, about the Longbottoms and Sirius becoming a new uncle to both the children and how they were all learning from each other.

* * *

The kids were eventually sent outside to play until dinner and the adults got to talk.

"I am happy to see you Dad, but what brought you over today?" Stan asked.

"Actually, I am not really sure myself. I have been having some odd dreams and I always wake up thinking about you all. I get the feeling that I need to do something." Richard explained.

"And so you do." Said a voice calmly from the doorway. "You need to take magical guardianship of your grandchildren and be the Head of the family." King Jareth said as he walked into the room. "I thought that it would take longer to put a stop to Dumbledore's meddling. That is why I put the children under my protection. If I had known that it would be done so soon I would not have interfered. Such a pity, I nearly had Albus afraid to sleep. He was continually dreaming about the Bog."

"Sire," said Richard, recognising who was standing there, "I can't express how grateful I am for your intervention. Thank you."

"Here is the guardianship contract. Sign it and we can all move on. I will still be available if the children need me to Bog someone, but!" He hastened to add "It will need to be a very good reason, not just because they don't like a person."

"I am not sure we need to tell them about that." Dot laughed.

"I have been troubled by Harry's dreams of late. He is getting concerned about his lack of any real childhood. I was wanting to make you an offer." Jareth said seriously.

"What is it? Will it harm Harry?" asked Richard sharply, looking and sounding like the Head of house he was.

"No, I am simply offering him his dreams."

"No! You are not giving him a dream crystal!"

"No, nothing so crude. I was thinking that I could give him his dreams at night while he was asleep. He would get the full impact of the feelings that go along with them as well. He would not get that with a mere crystal. The dreams would give him a sense of the childhood innocence he craves while not disturbing the conscious part of his mind and I will be slowly tapering them off until they finish when he is 16. Will you permit me?"

"As long as they don't harm Harry I will permit them. I can't really stop you, can I?"

"No, but I think we need to work together to help this boy. He is more special than he will ever realize." Said Jareth pensively. "I suppose you wonder why I take such an interest in the boy?"

"The thought has crossed my mind a few times, yes." Said Dot

"Several years ago a Miss Petunia Evens wished her sister Lilly away and then refused to run the Labyrinth. Lilly then offered to run for her own freedom. The challenge is to get to the castle in the middle within 13 hours, but she not only got to the castle, she then made it to the exit at the other end of the maze with an hour to spare! That has never been done before or since. Because of her determination and bravery I not only gave her her freedom but I also offered her one wish of her choosing. She asked for me to watch over her and her future children and for me to protect them as much as I could. This is my way of fulfilling that wish. I am sorry I cannot do more but I thank you for giving Harry what he needs. I will take my leave, goodbye."

And with a swirl of glitter he was gone again, leaving several dumfounded adults behind.

That night Harry dreamt that he and Hermione were playing a fun game of hide and seek with a huge shaggy red creature and a fox/dog that talked like an old fashioned knight. He was safe and he knew that he was loved and his new family would keep him safe from any harm.

* * *

September 1st 1990.

"Here we are kids, the Hogwarts Express! It is now 10.30. Time to get aboard and find Neville if you all want good seats together." Richard told the pair.

After a round of hugs and goodbyes Harry and Hermione found a compartment.

"Are we ready for this Harry?"

"With us together? Absolutely."

* * *

May 1991

Dear Mummy,

Lots has changed since last Mothers Day. I now live with a family that loves me and I have friends now.

I am going to Hogwarts like you and Daddy did and Uncle Padfoot and some of the teachers have talked to me about you both.

I just wanted to let you know I am happy now and to say 'Happy Mothers Day, I love you'.

Your son

Harry Potter.

* * *

The end.


	14. Chapter 14

Dear mummy, alternate ending or omake.

This was an early idea when we were thinking of not offing Dumbledore until after the end of the first year. It was written by David and is too good an idea to leave unpublished.

* * *

Facing Voldemort in the mirror chamber Harry feared for his life. 'I hope he forgives me for this!' He thought desperately. "I wish the goblins would take you away, right NOW!" Harry cried.

In a flash Quirrel/Voldemort was gone and the Goblin King stood there, looking sternly at Harry.

"I hope there was a VERY good reason for this." Jareth said sternly. "Emergency only, remember?"

"I'm sorry! Really, REALLY sorry! But, I thought he was going to kill me. I won't do it again, I promise." Harry blurted out.

Seeing Harry's distress Jareth speaks softly. "Hmm… come and sit down with me. Now, tell me what happened? And who was it I took? What happened to make you use the Wish?"

Harry explained the whole convoluted situation and once he finished he leaned tiredly onto Jareth's shoulder.

"I see. I promised a Bogging for anyone who interfered with my wards, so a dunk in the bog it will be and then… a few years in my Oubliette should teach them a few things."

* * *

150 years later.

"Sire, there is a strange smell coming from the oubliette. It is a mix of something rotting and the Bog. What should we do?"

"Oh dear… I think we forgot about our 'guest'. Well no one seems to miss him so just burry him in the bog."

"As you say Sire." And the creature scurried off.

"Hmm… the power he knows not… a child's wish, a Fae king and his oubliette." Jareth tosses a crystal in the air and vanishes.

* * *

The end.


End file.
